Sharing stories is a fundamental part of human nature. Throughout history, various storytelling formats have evolved including various images from cave paintings through magazines and books. With the advent of the Internet, image and text-rich content on the World Wide Web transforms story sharing into an even more compelling user experience. At one extreme, professional web designers and layout specialists use advanced tools to create visually compelling web pages. However, the use of such tools typically requires expert knowledge of both the tools and of design concepts and techniques. At the other extreme, numerous laypeople publish content through social networks. Professional web designers and layout specialists use their expert knowledge of advanced tools to create content that presents stories via an arrangement of text and images.
As Internet-connected devices proliferate, the opportunities for publishers to distribute their web pages or magazines, and thus sell ad space, increases. Those opportunities further multiply as more web pages are published, discussed, and shared via social media.
Readers enjoy the convenience and aesthetics of web sites and online magazines. Tablet computers are an increasingly popular way of accessing the Internet and reading web sites. With this technological proliferation, advertisers who buy ad space in web formats can increasingly reach not only a mobile and highly connected audience, but also an audience viewing content on the high-resolution, vivid displays found in modern tablet computers. The color and clarity of such displays, in addition to the interactivity possible on tablet computers, allow advertisers to present attractive and engaging advertisements in web magazines.
Publishers of web sites can sell advertising space to advertisers according to any of a number of revenue models. Some revenue models are geared toward paying for exposure, such as cost per mille (CPM) and cost per view (CPV). Other revenue models are geared toward paying for performance, such as cost per click (CPC) and cost per action (CPA). Publishers may be able to charge a premium for advertising space that allows for behavior-targeted advertisements, semantic advertising, location-based advertising, and so on.
In addition, a subscriber base can provide a relatively stable and engaged audience. This stability is valuable because it allows advertisers to expose the audience to advertising campaigns over an extended period of time—thus increasing the advertisement's likelihood of success.